Once she said she pitied him for the length of his list--she had counted his candles almost as often as himself--and this made him wonder what could have been the length of hers.

He had wondered before at the coincidence of their losses, especially as from time to time a new candle was set up.

On some occasion some accident led him to express this curiosity, and she answered as if in surprise that he hadn't already understood.

"Oh for me, you know, the more there are the better--there could never be too many.

I should like hundreds and hundreds--I should like thousands; I should like a great mountain of light." Then of course in a flash he understood.